I love the Queen Scarlett St.Clair! I loved this book just as much ask I love all of the Touch of Darkness and Game of Fate series. I would read anything she writes! I would love to read anymore arcs she has coming out. Also, I love the narrator for the book. No complaints about this book!

TW: death, abduction, mentions of sex trafficking,

A Game of Retribution is the second installment in the Hades Saga by Scarlett St.Clair. If you’ve followed the series “A Touch of Darkness” this is Hades’s POV for what’s going on in the story and also contains side stuff that you don’t ever know about in the ATOD books.

I really enjoyed the first one, A Game of Fate, and wanted to continue Hades’s POV. I like getting the hero’s thoughts and feelings so this was a no brainer. As far as the story goes, there’s a lot of things going on. It was kind of squished together one drama right after another but it was ok because they were entertaining. Persephone’s character became a bit annoying to me as the book progressed and she is constantly blaming Hades and being mad at him for things out of his control. It was really easy to see the lack of maturity she has compared to him. She had good points when she talks about a lack of communication because he still hasn’t told her things that have happened but she came across more whiny than necessary and didn’t trust him one bit when he refused to save Lexa. Have a little faith girl! Also I have to mention that Hermes and Hecate are the best. I love them so much!

I did receive the audio version of this book for review and honestly I did not care for the narrator. His voice was very monotone to me and the pacing was off. I had to listen to it at 1.5x and that has never happened to me before, I’m usually at 1.15x. Also the narrator seemed to change up the tone of the character’s voices. One chapter his voice for Hades would be the same as his narrating voice and then the next chapter he would use a lower toned and more gravelly voice for Hades. He did this for other characters too and it just confused me.

Overall this was a 3.75 for me. Probably would’ve been a 4 had I just read it and not listened to it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tantor audio for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC!

3.5 stars rounding up. I was really excited about this book, having finished all of the Persephone POVs and the Hades POV about this time last year. Of those, the Hades POV was my favorite by far, and I chomping at the bit to get back to his stories. While I think I still enjoyed this one more than A Touch of Ruin (the counterpoint Persephone book), I found that a lot of the issues I had with that one were still present in this book. I found Persephone to be a bit spoiled and unwilling to learn and grow, and I found Hades' constant omission of the details of his life to be troublesome. At points of this book it seemed that the only thing Hades and Persephone had in common was their physical attraction to one another.

THAT being said, this book was still fun and I still plan on reading the rest of the series! My favorite thing about A Game of Fate was the politics between gods that we only get from Hades POV. That continued to be present in this one. We got to see why the last line of A Touch of Ruin makes so much sense and it definitely prepares the reader better for A Touch of Malice.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the series so far!

This is the second instalment of the Hades saga. It is difficult to give a review without spoilers, other than I truly enjoy Scarlett St Clair's books, as well as this narration. Hades and Persephone feel so close (and hot)! Thanks for the opportunity to hear it

4/5 ⭐️

There is legitimately no way I could dislike this book 😂 I love the series from Persephones POV and this truly just makes it waaaaay better. I’m getting answers I didn’t before and I get to know what Hades is thinking, truly a treat and very different from Persephone.

I think the only somewhat “issue” I have with this series is that it should have come out in tandem with the original series because now I’m feeling like I have to reread the other book and then come back to this one to get the full story and it’s been a hot minute since I read the second book from Persephones POV (although that is so not a big thing)

Audiobook review: I really just think the audiobook enhances the reading experience, and this one is no different 🤷🏽‍♀️ The narrator is the perfect choice!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom books and Tantor Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review 😊

3.75 stars

Well, that was a wild adventure of drama, miscommunication, and porn (for real- the main characters have an impressive amount of sex when you consider how often they’re also fighting and avoiding each other). It was undoubtedly a fun read about a super problematic relationship. Hades is kind of the definition of “super toxic masculinity, but he’s sexy so everyone gets over it,” and he and Persephone both absolutely suck at communication and feelings. But really, no one reads a retelling of a Greek myth and expects both a healthy, secure relationship and a happy ending, right? You can *maybe* have one of those things. It was quite funny at points (I laughed out loud multiple times) and tense by turns, and although it’s the second book in a series (whoops), I wasn’t lost when I started. This was definitely an experience, and I’ll have to check out A Touch of Darkness or one of the author’s other books in the near future.

3.5 stars! Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a beautiful written/narrated story! This doesn’t get a higher rating just because I felt like there was a lot happening in the book and that might just be due to the fact that I haven’t read the previous books. But listening to this got me so excited to read them!

It was interesting to see Hades’ perspective and how he was dealing with his responsibilities and his feelings. I’ve only had experiences with Hades being depicted as the bad guy so it was nice to seem him come across a the "good-guy" and you really kind of root for him.

The spice was a bit overpowering but I really felt their connection. Especially when they were still working through communicating with each other. The book ended on a good note to build the suspense for the next book. I know I’m ready!

I really enjoyed the nicknames and honestly Hermes had to be MY FAVORITE. He was the perfect comedic relief and he was such a great friend to both Persephone and Hades.

I enjoyed this read!

A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley

i was expecting this book for a while, it's the second book of Hades saga and it confirms me why i like these Povs so much, there are more characters (moreover the interactions between different goods even ones they didnt appear yet in the original saga), you can sense more depply their world and motivations and of course the friendship between Hades, Hecate and Hermes is hilarious. Now i'm looking foward what is gonna happen in "a game of gods" i bet it's going to be brutal.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I forgot how much Persephone had annoyed me during the second book, but Hades really saved the day in this one! I loved seeing everything from his perspective and understanding his motivations. This book really sells the depth of his love for Persephone and really shows his emotions in such a touching way.

I loved the intimate scenes from his point of view and how they were always focusing on his love for her. They were really sexy but also really sweet and I absolutely adored that. It was a great way to watch their relationship grow and see how Hades actually views Persephone despite all her mistakes and all her doubts.

I wish that Hades had been a bit more involved in everything that was going on with Persephone, especially with Lexa's ordeal in this book. I feel like there was a lot that was left out or that he never actually was even made aware of. But I did love the new plot points that came in and having Hera and her tasks really added a whole new depth to the story that I greatly enjoyed.

Loving this new side of the story, and I can't wait to see where they go from here!

I was a huge fan of the books told through Persephone's perspective. I was looking forward to hearing them from Hades', but I didn't feel like this narrator fit Hades' voice at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series! Scarlett’s world of New Athens is amazing! The characters are wonderful, the storyline is amazing, and I just can’t get enough of Hades and Persephone! This story is rich and adds more depth to the events of A Touch of Ruin. I love getting into Hades’ mind because he is so aloof and untouchable the A Touch of Darkness series, it has been great to understand more about him and his life in the past and the reasons for why he does things. Scarlett has become and auto-purchase author for me over the last year and I can’t wait for all of her upcoming novels and I will never stop hyping her novels to everyone I meet!

I am such a fan of Hades, especially this version, that I could listen to him go about his laundry list and enjoy it. Which is basically what this book is as he schemes his way through Hera’s 12 tasks while also juggling a budding relationship with Persephone.

St. Clair is such a talented writer and I’m so glad she decided to do a companion series of Hade’s perspective alongside Persephone’s to give us a well rounded view of events. In A Touch of Ruin, we see only glimpses of his decision making and reasonings to why he allows things to unfold as they do. This remedies that and honestly I understand him more than I do Persephone sometimes!

Really loved this, it’s just as full of romance as ATOR and it’s somehow even sweeter the second time, through his eyes. Highly recommend a read.

The audiobook was great, I’m a fan of the narrator and his ability to portray various characters in unique ways. I recommend listening at 1.2x or 1.5x speed max though as any higher creates an echo effect that takes away from the story. Other than that I have no complaints and can’t wait for the next one!

It has been so long since I read ATOR it almost felt like I was going in blind while reading but I was able to easily get into the story and remember what had happened in the previous book.

I really love reading Hades perspective. We get to see just how far he will go to keep Persephone and how hard he fights for her. We got to see a lot of good character growth for Hades. I binge read AGOR in two sittings it was so hard to put it down!

Just like previous books AGOR is spicy! Sometimes I feel like it was more spicy reading Hades perspective than reading Persephone.

AGOR is narrated by Tyler Donne, I think they did a really good job. I listened to it at 2x speed for most of the book. I'd definitely listen to their narration again.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the Audio-ARC!

Some how I managed to get approved for this on netgalley. Which heck yeah!

I absolutely love the story from Hades perspective and I've held off reading the others because I felt like I should know what's going on with everyone before I start it.

It was easy to jump back into this world and Hades bed to see just how much he would burn the world down for Persephone.

And much like the others I love some spicy but some felt unneeded when I'm just trying figure out what the demigods are doing.

But I still love this!!

Ahhh what a thrilling and amazing one! I really enjoyed this book! The characters and the storyline were on point!

Thank you Netgalley , Sourcebooks Bloom Books and RB Media for allowing me the listen and read my most anticipated read of 2022.

I binged this book via ebook and audiobook over the weekend and I loved it. Scarlett St. Clair did it again. The fact that she wrote this book in such a short amount of time has me shook because the talent she possesses is unmatched.

We are back on New Athens with the companion novel to A Touch of Ruin. Instead of following Persephone, we are with Hades who is doing a lot of shit. This man is busy. If you think that this is just Hades POV for ATOR, you are completely wrong. Hades is a busy man! We learnt that in AGOF and that is even more evident in AGOR.

In AGOR we see Hades fighting hard for Persephone. Fighting to be keep her. Fighting to build their future. Fighting to prevent war. Hades has his hands in many pots to the point that it I am amazed that he doesn't just fall apart. How he reacts truly shows how wise and old ( as in he's seen a lot in his life) he is. Hades is a strong man and God but because of his new relationship with Persephone, he still has a lot to learn. Hades has been alone for a long time. He has had lovers here and there but he has never had a lover like Persephone. Someone he is devoted to. Someone who he would risk it all for.

Adjusting to a life that involves someone else in a new way is not as easy as he thinks. He has to include Persephone in his life fully, In every decision he makes. He also has to learn communication. In AGOR we see that it is not just Persephone that needs to learn how to communicate. Persephone doesn't know how to properly communicate because of how she grew up. Her mother prevented her from speaking up and expressing herself. With Hades, his vast knowledge and life prevents him from communicating because he has spent so long doing things a certain way and never truly having to explain his actions. Enter Persephone and now he is realizing that he can't continue his life the way he always has. He also can't separate his life as King of the Underworld and Persephone's lover. Those two worlds are now intertwined and it is a huge adjustment for him.

Like ATOR, this is a book about growth. We watched Persephone grow so much in her book and we see the same for Hades. By the end, we truly see a new man.

One thing I loved was the introduction to new characters, Ariadne, Dionysus, Hera, Heracles and of course (even though she is only mentioned) my one and only Miss Medusa. I cannot wait to find out the role she plays in this universe.

I loved this book and I adore these characters. With AGOR/ Hades POV we are seeing this story become whole. 2 books left. A Game of Gods and A Touch of Chaos. I don't want their story to end but I am super excited to see the expansion of this universe that St. Clair is creating.

One last thing I will say.....I didn't know how much I needed a Hades masturbation scene until I got one. 10/10. Thank you!

Hades and Persephone is back in this second instalment of the Hades Saga. Hera, Goddess of Women, want to overthrow Zeus and who better to help her than Hades? She doesn't give him much choice but to help her.

This was a good second book. It really built up well from the first book. Hades actually comes across a the "good-guy" and you really kind of root and love him. I felt Persephone had this superior like quality which I didn't like very much. The smut was again a bit overpowering. The book ended on a good note with a bit of anticipation for the next one.

My thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for this ARC.